Marlowe, Christopher -- The Tragicall History of the Life and Death of Doctor Faustus, Act 2, sc. 1 (sc. 5), l. 477ff (1594; 1604 “A” text)

Dave — Fri, 06 Feb 2026 06:12:07 +0000

FAUSTUS: Stay, Mephistopheles, and tell me,
What good will my soul do thy lord?

MEPHISTOPHILES: Enlarge his kingdom.

FAUSTUS: Is that the reason he tempts us thus?

MEPHISTOPHILES: Solamen miseris socios habuisse doloris.
[Misery loves company.]

Christopher "Kit" Marlowe (1564-1593) English dramatist and poet
The Tragicall History of the Life and Death of Doctor Faustus, Act 2, sc. 1 (sc. 5), l. 477ff (1594; 1604 “A” text)
(Source)

Variants of the Latin translation:

It is a comfort to the wretched to have companions in misery.
It is a comfort to the unfortunate to have had companions in woe.
To the unhappy it is a comfort to have had company in misery.
Solace of the wretched to have companions of pain.

The same wording is used in the "B" text (1594; 1616), l. 427ff.

Ibn Arabi -- (Attributed)

Dave — Tue, 24 Nov 2020 22:58:44 +0000

Angels are souls blown into lights,
Jinn are souls blown into winds,
and Human Beings are souls blown into shapes.

Ibn 'Arabi (1165-1240) Arab Andalusian Muslim scholar, Sufi mystic, poet, philosopher [ابن عربي‎‎]
(Attributed)
(Source)

WIST Quotations

Marlowe, Christopher -- The Tragicall History of the Life and Death of Doctor Faustus, Act 2, sc. 1 (sc. 5), l. 477ff (1594; 1604 “A” text)

Ibn Arabi -- (Attributed)